There are a few conflicts in the story, but one of the more important ones is Montag against society. Society has become mindless, expressionless, and absorbs whatever they are told. This conflict was caused because of Clarisse talking to Montag, and him starting to question things. Before he was like everyone else. They were mindless, and walked around without knowing it. Faber said “If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you’ll never learn. Montag walked around everyday hiding his ignorance, and one day Clariss showed Montag that he was truly ignorant and realized that people need to change. Montag is talking to some of his wife’s friends and he brings up children. One woman says this about taking care of her kids “I plunk the children in school nine days out of ten. I put up with them when they come home three days a month; it’s not bad at all. You leave them into the ‘parlor’ and turn the switch. It’s like washing clothes: stuff laundry in and slam the lid” (Bradbury, 96.) This is a big part of the brainwashing. The parents have no part in teaching their kids. After this they talk politics, and their entire political opinions are based on appearances. Montag becomes completely outraged by all of this.
The losses of the conflict start when Montag was little. At some point he was brainwashed just like everyone else. The gain comes when he realizes that he was brainwashed. After this, Montag wants to bring everyone out of the darkness. He gets another loss when he loses Clarisse. Then he gains when he teams up with Faber. After this is a loss because Beatty finds out he has books, and Montag kills him. Montag has to run away, and live with the people on the railroad. This is both a loss and a gain. It is a loss because he could not live with the rest of society, but it became a gain when the city was bombed.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 2003. Print.
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